You're Stuck With Me
by DeanHeartsCas
Summary: So it seemed that shooting yourself in the face to get rid of someone, someone you could go so far as to call a hallucination, didn't work. Eventual Slash between Jack and Tyler. Mentions of Jack/Marla too.


**You're Stuck With Me**

**AN: This is my first Fight Club fic so I'm just getting a feel for the characters at the moment. I hope I've got their characteristics down and how they'd react in the situations correct. I do love Jack and Tyler, they're so fucked it's awesome. Anyway, let me know what you think!**

**Oh and I know 'upedness' isn't a word but I liked it. Haha. **

So it seemed that shooting yourself in the face to get rid of someone, someone you could go so far as to call a hallucination, didn't work. Jack had thought that the act of putting a bullet through his cheek, taking control of his own life, would get rid of Tyler Durden once and for all and for a couple of months it had.

His life had been surprisingly calm considering that for a while he'd been the prime suspect in the attacks on all the credit card record buildings. But, and he had to give Tyler all the credit here, thanks to his other self the police hadn't been able to pin him with the crimes and had been forced to let him go. It seemed that, despite the fucked upedness of the hallucination he'd been pretty damn smart and had left no trace or evidence that could be led back to him.

The members of Project Mayhem had disbanded, Jack having kicked them out of the house on Paper Street the moment he was released from the police station. They'd grumbled at first, some furious at the end of Fight Club whilst others had been desperate for the release that the fighting had given them. He'd suggested, sarcastically as he ushered the men out the front door, that they all visit support groups and hug it out. Now and again Jack heard rumors of former members starting clubs in other cities, Project Mayhem having given them a thirst for violence that needed feeding often. He couldn't give less of a shit what they all did as long as they left him and Marla alone.

Well, at first it had been him and Marla. Now it was just him, puttering around the house and making half-hearted attempts at fixing the place up but there was just too much damage to even think about restoring it to his former glory. Then there was Tyler. Yeah he was back and the man, opposite personality, hallucination whatever the fuck you wanted to call him was almost driving him bat shit. Or maybe he was bat shit already.

It had started with a little nagging voice in the back of his mind, just every now and again a voice would pipe up at some injustice or event and Tyler's face would flash before his eyes. A few weeks after the voice reappeared the naps had started. Jack's sleeping pattern had always been fucked, sometimes being able to survive on 3 hours sleep and other times needing a solid 12 hours before he could even function but he'd never been one for napping. He wasn't sure when precisely but 10-15 minutes naps had been introduced into his daily routine and before he knew it he was losing an hour or two a day.

Jack was certain they were just naps, nothing more and certainly nothing to do with Tyler I'm-gunna-majorly-fuck-up-your-life Durden but whenever he thought about them he couldn't stop himself from referring to them as blackouts. They made him uneasy, hours lost where everything was dark scared him and he did the best thing he could do when something was freaking him out. He ignored it and hoped the naps

_blackouts_

would stop entirely.

Talking to Marla about his worries and speculations wouldn't have helped either. She was wrapped up in her own little world with her own problems, still seeking out support groups wherever she could and regaling him with tales from the meetings. He listened with only half an ear, his mind some times worrying at the napping

_blackouts_

situation or just blanking out entirely. He'd learned quickly that she didn't need much input from him anyway. Her voice would go on and on and as long as he threw in the occasional "uhuh" or "yeah, sure" she'd be happy.

Then that Tuesday night had come, the one 3 months ago, the one where his life was turned upside down once again. It was 11pm and Jack had just woken up from a beer-induced nap, dragging his hungover ass off the couch and into the bathroom, taking a quick bath in some lukewarm water to wash away the smell of beer before jumping back out. He'd started brushing his teeth, tunelessly humming to himself and staring back into his own eyes in the mirror before leaning down and spitting out some of the paste and foam. As he straightened up his eyes shifted over his shoulder where they met the icy grey blue of Tyler Durden's eyes.

Jack cried out, spraying the mirror with foam and spit whilst dropping the toothbrush into the sink, the clattering filling his ears. He quickly wiped at the mirror and stared behind him, his eyes widening so much he thought they were going to fall out of his head.

"Surprise!" Tyler cried out, spreading his arms and cocking his hip a little. That shit eating grin sliding effortlessly onto his face. He stood in the middle of the room, a couple of feet from Jack plain as day and Jack himself was speechless, foam dribbling out of his hanging mouth and down his chin. "Wow, I know you're surprised to see me but drooling is a little embarrassing don'tcha think?"

Impossibly Jack felt his eyes widen even further before leaning over and, not taking his eyes off Tyler, spitting what was left in his mouth down into the plughole. His hands were gripping the sides of the sink, holding on so tightly the knuckles had gone white.

"You… I... You're not… not real." He managed to whimper even though he could see him standing right there, could see the dirt marks on the blue jeans he wore, the way the white wife beater vest clung to his body. His mind spun as he took every detail in.

"Oh but I am." Tyler laughed.

"Not, no, not here."

"Yes here. I'm right here, right now Jack."

"No."

"Yes."

"_No!_"

"Turn around and you'll see for yourself." Tyler retorted, the smile slipping from his face quickly. He took a step forwards and Jack felt his stomach clench. His whole body tensed up and for a moment he considered sprinting out of the bathroom, right out of the house and running as far away as he could. Tyler tutted and shook his head. "I'm you remember? I'm really real but I'm also you and I know what you're thinking. It won't work."

"I…"

"No, it wouldn't. It's like when people go on holiday. They want to get away from their job, their home and sometimes their families. But most of all, they want to get away from themselves. Just get the fuck out of Dodge and away from their pathetic little lives. So they take a break, book the time off work and jet off to some exotic location where they assume they can just relax and not think about a single thing. So they finally get to the beach or wherever it is, order a cocktail, sit down, maybe grab a book and start to relax. It only takes about 5 minutes for them to realise that there is no getting away from yourself, no getting away from everything that made them want the shitty holiday in the first place. You're stuck with your fucking self till the day you die Jack and nobody can escape that."

"I don't understand."

"You're stuck with me big guy. We're glued at the hip till the day we croak. There's no getting away from each other. We take a holiday and I'll be downing the beers whilst you lie back and read."

"This is crazy. You're not real. You can't be."

'Fuck!" Tyler cried out angrily, this time stepping right up close to Jack. He reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, a strong and heavy weight that held a warmth. A shiver ran straight down Jack's spine as Tyler touched him and their eyes met again. "I'm here. I'm real. I'm real to you and that's all that matters."

"Jesus." Jack muttered, his voice shaking. He turned from Tyler and stared at himself in the mirror trying to ignore those icy depths that threatened to catch ahold of his gaze again. That hand was still resting on his shoulder and through the intense worry, the gnawing fear and doubt a small blossom of relief and comfort bloomed. He pushed it aside and was about to open his mouth to speak when he heard the front door slamming. Jack jumped and turned towards the open doorway.

"Honey, I'm home!" A slurred voice called out from downstairs before breaking off into raucous laughter. He could hear the clattering of shoes being kicked off before a loud crash sounded. Jack started forward but the grip on his shoulder tightened.

"What's this bitch still doing here?" Tyler asked, a low growl in his throat.

"What?"

"Why is she still here?"

"Marla? She's…she's my girlfriend. We live together, here."

"No, I know. You, me. Me, you remember? But why is she still here. We don't love here."

"I care about her! She's like me, we're similar and it's nice to have someone."

"You used to have me." Tyler retorted, his voice soft but his eyes hard. They stared at each for a couple of seconds and Jack felt something building. A revelation, a secret, a huge balloon that threatened to burst and spill forth everything although what that 'everything' was he didn't know. Tyler's hand clung to his shoulder and their eyes were glued to one another. The balloon swelled, a shiny stretched surface reflecting the light and here it came.

"Jack? You here?" Marla cried out again, worry tingeing her drunken voice as the balloon deflated. Settling back into Jack's mind as he heard Marla sing-songing his name through the house. He brushed past Tyler, noticing how solid the other man's shoulder felt and shivering at what that might mean about his mental health. That grip tightened for a second but then slid off his shoulder. As he headed for the stairs he glanced back and saw Tyler leaning in the bathroom doorway, hands crossed over his chest and a slight frown on his face.

As he came down the stairs Jack's eyes scanned the hall, looking for Marla and finding her leaning against the hallway floor. The crash must have been her falling and he could see her handbag lying close by, odds and ends having fallen out.

"Hey, I'm here. You alright?"

"Hi there." Marla answered, breaking into a fit of giggles. Jack crouched down in front of her, the smell of tequila so strong it was as if she'd been bathing in the stuff.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Come and join me on the floor."

"Well how about we go through to the kitchen and have some water?"

"The floor is comfier."

"It really isn't."

"It really is." She answered back, snorting to herself before reaching up and settling a hand over his and tugging at him. "Come on."

Jack moved closer to the drunken woman, sitting down against the wall next to her and sliding an arm around her shoulder. She pressed closer to him, her head falling back against his armpit.

"So where did you go?"

"What?" Marla asked, her voice still a little slurred. "Oh. Right. Well, I ended up going to AA…and…well, I got thirsty." She broke into more laughter, cackling almost and Jack couldn't help but smile along with her both at her infectious laugh and the irony of her night.

"Wow. I can see the meetings are really helping." He chuckled.

"I have no defense. I'm a weak, weak woman and I craved the strong taste of tequila."

"I know I can smell it."

"I even got some of the people from the meeting to come too."

"What?"

"Yeah. They sure know how to party…"

They were both silent for a moment, Marla holding her breath and Jack stunned at what she had done. Then, at precisely the same time they both burst out into laughter, the noise filling the house. Neither of them could move nor catch their breath and yet they carried on, both in a heaving and hysterical heap, clinging to each other, bodies shaking. Only God (and Tyler) knew how long it went on for but soon enough they found their laughter exhausted. They sat back, hearts hammering and faces red. All was silent.

"They gulped it down like they were fish and it was water." Marla said and they were off again. Their bodies shook once more and Jack thought that if they carried on he was literally going to piss himself. Marla looked up at him and started doing fish impressions. She kept making little "bloob, bloob" noises and he soon found himself joining in. They sat there laughing, blowing out their cheeks and smacking their lips together and after about an hour so, when Jack could no longer feel his ass he decided it was time to move.

"Come on. Let's go to bed." He said, struggling to bring feeling back into his numb legs and stand up. Marla was half asleep against his chest, both the drinking and laughing having tired her out. She clung to him as he stood, using him for support and together they climbed the stairs and made their way into their bedroom. Jack had glanced around looking for any sign of Tyler but he was nowhere to be seen. Marla slowly stripped out of her clothes and slipped under the covers, turning on to her side and away from the rest of the room. Jack watched her for a few moments and thought about what Tyler had said and realised that he was right, he didn't love her. But he cared for her an awful lot, more than anyone else. Well, except for Tyler. When they had started out, being best friends and beating the shit out of each other he had cared him then.

"I cared about you too you know."

Jack spun around and saw Tyler leaning against the bedroom wall, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His head was down, staring straight at the floor. Jack sighed and ran a hand over his face. In all honesty he'd believed

_hoped_

that seeing Tyler in the bathroom earlier had just been some sort of fuck up with his brain, a once-in-a-lifetime-thing that would never happen again but here he was.

"Why are you here?" He asked, keeping his just under a whisper.

"Why am _I_ here? Why are _you_ here? Why are any of us here?"

"Stop it. Come on, seriously, why?"

Tyler shrugged and finally looked up at him. A sarcastic smile on his face, one that looked almost bitter. "I'm a part of you. I'm never going away."

"I don-"

"Who are you talking to?" A sleepy mumble came from the bed. Jack glanced over his shoulder but Marla hadn't moved.

"Just…myself."

"Well you sound crazy. Come to bed."

Jack sighed and turned back to see Tyler still watching him. They stared at one another for the moment and Jack could feel that balloon starting to rise, starting to come alive but he fought it. No answers tonight he thought, I'm too tired and with that he stripped out of his clothes, switched the bedside lamp off and climbed in beside Marla, lying on his back and trying to ignore the dark form of Tyler still leaning against the wall.

"Goodnight." Marla whispered.

"Goodnight" Jack responded.

"Goodnight" Tyler added.


End file.
